Luxury Peru Highlights Tour – 12 Days

Itinerary

DAY 1: LIMA ARRIVAL

A View Peru staff member will be waiting for your arrival at the Lima airport, from where they will transport you to the luxury hotel of your choice. Any questions you have will be answered and you will be briefed on your itinerary by your assistant. Waiting at your hotel for you will be fresh flowers and you will enjoy a massage as well as a first-class dinner at one of Lima’s famed gourmet restaurants. You have the evening to relax in your hotel to prepare yourself for the exciting tour ahead.

DAY 2: CITY TOUR LIMA (B, L, D)

Today you will be brought on a private city tour of Lima, Peru’s capital as well as most modern and largest city. You will enjoy a luxury vehicle with an English-speaking, friendly guide to share this amazing city with you. Lima was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 and it is a great introduction to Peru as it has drastic contrasts between modernity and its ancient and colonial heritage. An English-speaking guide will bring you to various colonial and modern sites throughout this sprawling city. Visiting the Main Square, the Cathedral, and the Catacombs in the San Francisco Covenant you will be immersed in the city’s rich colonial past. Contrastingly, next you will visit the hip residential areas of Miraflores and San Isidro where you will see the modern face of Peru with the various high-end shopping malls, eateries, and bars. For lunch you will enjoy Lima’s delicious seafood at the famous Rosa Nautica restaurant After the tour, you have the afternoon and night free to further explore and enjoy the thriving nightlife of Lima. You will enjoy another gourmet dinner at your hotel tonight.

Day 3: Arequipa (B, L, D)

After a gourmet breakfast at your Lima hotel, you will be transferred to the airport for your short domestic flight South to the city of Arequipa- renowned as Peru’s most beautiful city. Upon arrival at the airport, you will be transported to the superior hotel of your choosing and taken for a delicious lunch typical of the region. After lunch, you will get the pleasure of a private guided tour of this gorgeous city. Arequipa is called the “White City”, or “Ciudad Blanco” because most of the buildings are made out of a beautiful white volcanic rock. Your guide will bring you to the various highlights including the original section of the city St. Lazarus Quarter, the St. Catherine Monestary and the Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa in the Main Square. You will also make an excursion to an amazing viewpoint offering the best views of the surrounding volcanoes and farming fields. After the tour, you will have time to relax and stoll through these flower-lined streets before heading to dinner at a gourmet restaurant.

DAY 4: AREQUIPA – COLCA CANYON (B, L, D)

After breakfast at your Arequipa hotel you will begin you journey to the Colca Canyon in a private, air-conditioned vehicle. On the drive you will pass groups of wild alpacas and vicuñas in their natural habitat, in addition to vast views of gorgeous rural scenery. After a while of driving you will arrive in the main town of the canyon called Chivay, where you will spend the night in a fabulous canyon lodge. The afternoon and evening are free to explore this quaint town and to experience the down to earth locals with their gorgeous woven clothing.

DAY 5: COLCA CANYON – PUNO (B, L, D)

An early rise and breakfast to start you Colca Canyon tour. We will hop in your air-conditioned transport vehicle again to travel to various lookout points to view the second deepest canyon in the world in all of its glory. It is likely that you will see the famous powerful condor flying closely overhead as it surfs on the thermal winds of the canyon. After a short walk along the canyon, you will start travelling towards Puno. You will arrive in the lakeside city of Puno in the evening, when you should rest to get used to the extremely high altitude of the area. Your hotel will be on the shores of this sparkling, spiritual lake and you will enjoy a lakeside dinner typical of Lake Titicaca.

DAY 6: ISLANDS OF LAKE TITICACA (B, L, D)

Following breakfast in your Puno hotel, you will be transported to the port to begin your exciting adventure on the highest navigable lake in the world – Lake Titicaca! Your private tour in a high-class boat will start by bringing you to the floating islands of Uros where a local guide will show you how they made these islands out of reed platforms no more than 30-40cm thick! The communities moved onto the lake to avoid violent communities on the shores of Lake Titicaca. You will also get a short ride in one of the local handcrafted reed canoes that they have conitnued to use for centuries. From Uros, you will continue to the island of Taquile where you will be greeted by locals dressed in their gorgeous traditional woven clothing. Here you will get a guided tour of the island, followed by a traditional lunch from the lake itself. From Taquile you will be transported back to your Puno hotel where you will enjoy an amazing dinner watching the sunset over Lake Titicaca.

(OPTIONAL: It is possible to stay overnight on one of the islands with a family homestay in one of their rustic homes. This is an incredible, highly recommended opportunity to see the real life on the island and make connections with locals).

DAY 7: PUNO – CUSCO (B, L, D)

Today you will take the Andean Explorer Train from Puno to Cusco, which is an unforgettable journey. This amazing ride takes you across the Peruvian Altiplano, a high-altitude plain that extends between Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina showing you vast views and local flora and fauna. A delicious lunch and various snacks will be served on board. Upon arrival in Cusco you will be picked up and brought to your luxury hotel in the historic center of the city. Tonight you will have a 5-star massage in the oxygenated Inca Tak Spa, followed by a gourmet Cuscquenian dinner accompanied by a show.

Day 8: Cusco – Sacred Valley (B, L, D)

In the morning, you will be transported to the gorgeous Sacred Valley of the Incas. The Sacred Valley is at a much lower altitude than Cusco, therefore starting here will help you get acclimatized to the high-altitude Andes. Here, you will experience gorgeous scenery of farmlands, terraced mountians, snow-capped peaks in the distance, and traditional Andean life that has not changed for centuries. The first stop will be in the ancient Inca village of Ollantaytambo. Here, you will have time to wander the cobblestone streets winding through Inca walls, as well as time to visit the fortress ruins overlooking the town. In Ollantaytambo we will have a delicious lunch made out of ingredients grown and cultivated locally in the Sacred Valley, using ancient, sustainable methods. Following lunch, we will travel to the colonial village of Pisac where we will visit the famous craft market where natives from all over the valley come to sell their gorgeous handcrafted goods. In addition, you will visit the impressive Pisac ruins on the mountian in the town, where your private guide will tell you all of the history of the ruins and the modern town. In the evening you will be transferred to your luxury Urubamba hotel where a 5-star dinner will be awaiting your arrival.

Day 9: Textile workshop in the Sacred Valley (B, L, D)

After a leisurely morning in your Urubamba hotel, enjoying the slow life of the rural Andes, you will be brought to the ancient community of Amaru where you will be instructed in the art of textile creation. The community will welcome you with traditional music and flowers as a symbolic offering the Mother Earth (Pachamama). Following the ceremony, you will accompany the textile craftspeople in collecting things such as flowers from the surrounding natural area that will be used to make the dye. Next you will get a demonstration of how the wool has been dyed for centuries. Once the wool is ready,you are ready to start weaving your Andean textiles with the community members. They will teach you technique and you get a first hand look at who the world famous Andes textiles are made by hand. Following the interactive demonstration you will head to the community’s shop. Here is an ideal place to buy textiles because you just spent the afternoon with the people who made them, therefore you can be sure you will be supporting the local community. Upon return to your Urubamba hotel, you will enjoy a luxurious massage and 5-star dinner.

DAY 10: MACHU PICCHU (B, L, D)

Today you will travel to the feature point of your trip to Peru, Machu Picchu! Early in the morning you will be picked up at your hotel and brought to the train station to board the Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes. This amazing train journey takes you through rural landscapes outlined by gorgeous towering mountians, and descends into the lush cloud forest that hides Machu Picchu. Recently named one of the Seven New Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu is the ultimate desination for any traveller, as it is rich in history, culture, and lies in an amazing and iconic setting. This is easily the most impressive pre-Colombian city in the world with its amazing stone work and mystical setting in a hidden spot in the Andes. You will get a private guided tour of this lost city with an English-speaking guide who will help you to understand the interesting history of the site and the Inca people, as well as the various theories of the purpose of the city. Following the tour, you will have free time to explore this expansive site. Wander through ancient cobblestone paths leading to temples, homes, warehouses and a large square – all surrounded by dramatic terraces cut into the steep mountainsides. In addition, you have the option of taking the challenging hike up Huayna Picchu where you will have the most beautiful, panoramic view of Machu Picchu. Once you have had your fill of these amazing ruins, in the late afternoon you will be transferred to your luxury hotel to enjoy free time in the town of Aguas Calientes. Here you should check out the relaxing hot springs to heal your body from a day of hiking around Machu Picchu.

DAY 11: MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO (B, L, D)

This morning you will have the highly recommended opportunity to wake up early to watch the sunrise over the Machu Picchu ruins. You will get a second day to explore the ruins at your leisure, and the opportunity to hike Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the train station to catch the Hiram Bingham luxury train back to Cusco. This is the most exclusive, luxurious way to travel around the Andes, and you will be treated a to a full course meal on board as well as cocktails. Upon your arrival in Cusco, you will be picked up in a private vehicle with your English-speaking guide who will be ready to help you with anything you may need. You will be transferred to your luxury hotel for the night.

Day 12: Return to Lima (B)

After breakfast in your luxury Cusco hotel, you will be transported to the airport for your return trip to Lima. In the Lima airport, you will have the pleasure of waiting for your international flight home in the VIP Sumaq Lounge, voted “Best in South America”.

End of our Services.

Prices

Our Price

Hotel Category

Basic

2 Stars

3 Stars

3 Stars +

4 Stars

5 Stars

5 Stars Lux

Price Per Person

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

Include / Not Include

Price Includes

11 nights at luxury, high-end hotels with private bathrooms and breakfast included & local taxes

All indicated pick-ups and transfers in private service with English-speaking guide

View Peru are a Peruvian based travel agency and they excel in both service and local knowledge.They are impeccably efficient and the staff are highly professional. They know how to give their clients a Peruvian…